Job Description:

Lean Manufacturing Manager

Location: Ashton-under-Lyne
Salary: £40,000 - £50,000 DOE
Job Type: Full-Time | Permanent

Are you a hands-on manufacturing leader with a passion for Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement?

We're recruiting on behalf of a well-established and growing manufacturer looking for an experienced Lean Manufacturing Manager to lead production teams across our clients busy and growing Assembly department. This is an excellent opportunity to join a business that genuinely invests in its people, embraces Lean principles and is committed to driving operational excellence.

You'll be a visible leader on the shop floor, inspiring your team, improving processes and embedding a culture of accountability, engagement and continuous improvement.

The Role

Reporting to the Operations Manager, you'll take ownership of both people leadership and operational performance, ensuring production targets are achieved while continuously improving safety, quality, productivity and efficiency.

This is a role for someone who enjoys coaching others, challenging existing processes and delivering measurable improvements across a busy manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop production teams across multiple manufacturing departments.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement using Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Coach and mentor employees to maximise performance and engagement.
• Lead Kaizen events and improvement workshops.
• Embed Lean tools including 6S, Standard Work, Visual Management and structured problem solving.
• Monitor and improve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People (SQDCP) performance.
• Identify production bottlenecks and implement sustainable improvements.
• Promote a strong Health & Safety culture across the operation.
• Ensure production targets are achieved while maintaining exceptional quality standards.
• Support training, succession planning and employee development.
• Champion workplace organisation, visual management and equipment ownership.

About You

We're looking for an experienced manufacturing leader who can influence change and develop high-performing teams.

You'll ideally have:

• Previous experience as a Production Supervisor/Manager, Manufacturing Supervisor/Manager, Team Leader or Continuous Improvement Leader.
• Proven experience leading teams within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Experience driving cultural change and improving operational performance.
• Excellent coaching, communication and people management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• A solid understanding of Health & Safety and Quality systems.

Desirable

• Experience within Assembly, Electronics, SMT, Electro-Mechanical or Fabrication manufacturing.
• Lean Practitioner or Six Sigma Green Belt qualification.
• Knowledge of TPM, Value Stream Mapping and Daily Management Systems.
• Experience using ERP/MRP systems such as SAP.
• HNC/HND in Engineering or Manufacturing (or equivalent).

What's on Offer

• Salary of £40,000 - £50,000 DOE
• Permanent full-time position.
• Opportunity to play a key role in driving operational excellence.
• Supportive leadership team with genuine opportunities for progression.
• Work within a modern manufacturing environment focused on continuous improvement.
• Ongoing training and professional development.

If you're a proactive manufacturing leader who thrives on developing people, improving processes and delivering measurable business improvements, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today for immediate consideration.

Start People are the acting agency working on this assignment